Typewriting machine



May 15, 1928;

J. A. B. SMITH TYPEWRITING. MACHINE Filed Sept. 5, 1924 tion is the 35 this objectlon. This isaccomplished by Patented May 15, I UNITED STATES 1 ,670,126 PATENT OFFICE. I

JESSE A. B. SMITH, OF STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO UNDERWOOD ELLIOTT COHPANY, 01' NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.-

TY PEWBITING MACHINE.

Application filed September I In certain classes of work in which the.

fan-fold type of machine is used, it is necessary from time to time to make out a card containing certain data, which relates to 5 certain printed matter on a work-sheet, which sheetis made out immediately following the card on said fan-fold machine. For instance, a typis'tmay be engaged in typing installation orders on detachable blanks forming a continuous web, for distribution among the various. departments of a telephone company. For certain purposes it is necessary to make a card memorandum of the installation order, and it is desirable for certain other reasons that this card be made 7 out immediately before making out the installation order.

In order to save time and'labor, it is also desirable that this card be made out by the ftypist operating the fan-fold machine and on the same'machine. This is done by mounting a card-holder between the usual tearing-01f knife and the platen, and provids v er equipment whereby the card may .7 be inserted into the machine at the front of the platenand rotated backward and for-v ward until the line on which it isdesiredto print is levelwith the printing point. Heretofore in inserting such a card in this way, the bottom end of the card was liable to catch on the tthype-guide, the ribbon and its vibrator, or 0 er obstructions. One of the features of the present mvenrovision of means 'to overcome inserting the bottomend of the card behind the upper free end ofthe continuous web and then rotating the platen backward. In

this way, the bottom end of the card. is pro- 49 tected and the card readily passes the ribbon and its vibrator on its rearward journey.-

- The card is then advanced so that the desired line thereon is level with the printing point on the platen.

It is also desirable, in

this class .of work,

. .to print on the" extreme top and bottom ends of the. card, but difliculty has been experienced in holding the card in position on the platen for typing on the extreme bottom'end thereof. When said bottom end of the card passes beyond the bite of the front feed-rolls'on its forward movement, there is nothing to press the card against the platen with the result that the card be- 5 comes crooked on ,theplatemand the bottom ffeedaollers 14 and 15, respectively, up-

a, 1924." Serial No. 735,550.

end thereof bulges out making it impossible to type thereon. Furthermore, owing to the overlapping of the bottom end of the card by the free end of the web in the initial step ininserting said card in the'machine, and the further overlapping of said bottom end by the web during the course of the backward rotation of the card,'said bottom end of said card is hidden by the lap of the web when it nears the printing point on the machine. This necessitates the removing of the free end of the web from the card, to enable the bottom end thereof to be typed on. p Anotherfeature of the present invention 1s the provision of means for holding said card firmly against the platen after the bottom end of the card advances beyond thebite of the front feed-rollers, so that its bottom end is pressed against the platen andso that said card may be shifted with respect to said web to free its bottom end from the overlapping web.

Other features and inafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure-1 is a front view of a platen and associated parts with the present invention ap lied thereto.

igure 2 is a vertical sectional view looking to the right of Figure -1. Figure 3 is a view similar toFigu're 2 but showing the leading edge of the work-sheet be 0nd the bite of the rear feed-rolls.

the fan-fold machine illustrated in the drawings, the work-sheet or continuous web 10, feeds from a source (not shown) and passes through a carbon-carrier (not shown) in interleaved-relation with carbon-sheets, the carbon-carrier being mounted to ride on rails 11. From the carbon-carrier, the worksheet 10 passes downwardly over a rear paper-table 12 around the platen 13 and be-' tween said platen 13 and rear and front advantages will herewardly to the printing point indicated between the guides 16, at which point, said work-sheet 10 receives the impressions of type 16 and ink-ribbon 17 which is threaded through a vibrator.

In the type of machine shown, the platen 13 is mounted so that it can be laced and swungupwardly and forwardly 1n order to. introduce the work-sheet 1 0 in the rear of the platen 13. This is' done by mounting in this lever 27, the latch 24 is released fromthe lug 26 and the frame is permitted to swingupwardly and forwardly. When the platen 13 is returned to normal position, the latch 24 automatically engages said lug 26 again through the pressure exerted by a spring (not shown).

For rotating the platen 13 there is provided the usual hand-wheels 29 mounted on shafts 30, and linespace mechanism '(not shown) co-operating with a ratchet-wheel 31 fixed onone of said shafts 30. Secured to each of said shafts 30 is a gear 32, which is in constant mesh with abroad pinion 33 fixed on the rod 21. This pinion 33 is in mesh with and drives a gear 34 fixed to either end of shaft 19 upon which the laten 13 is mounted. This gear 34 swings bodily with the swing-frame 20 riding over the face of said pinion 33 thereby keeping in continuous mesh with said pinion 33. When one of the detachable blanks forming the continuous web or work-sheet 10 has been printed on, it is advanced untilits leading end abuts against an end gage (not shown) carried on the rod 35, which, gages the next blank to proper position, and the completed blank is detached from the web at the desired oint by means of the knife 36 mounted in ront of said platen 13.

The present invention is concerned with means for holding a card or work-piece 37 in position onthe platen 13 of said machine, and especially the lower endof said card, and also with equipment co-operat-ively combined with the foregoing machine for vfacilitating the introduction of said card into the machine at the front of the platen.

. Ordinarily in insertin' the card 37 into a machine at the front 0 the platen,,the lower end 38 of said card usually bulges out and catches into the ribbon 17 and Its vibrator. To overcome this objection, in accordance with the'present invention, the free end 39 of the work-sheet or web 10 is advanced slightly and the bottom end of the card 37 is inserted behind said free end 39. This overlapping by the free end 39 protects the ribbon 17 and its vibrator from interference by'the lowerend 38 of the card 37, and the .card may readily rotated rearwardly for the purpose of bringing the desired line on said card 37 -level withthe-printing point onthe platen 13; During this rearward movement, the lower end 38 of the card37 and firmly against the the free end 39 of the work-sheet 10 keep their relative positions until the free end 39 is fed clear of the bite of the rear feed-roll ers 14, as will be seen from Figure 3. When said free end 39 reaches this point, its rear- 7 38 of the card 37 and the free end 39 of the work-sheet 10, at the time the forward movement is commenced, are maintained when the free end 39 reaches the printing point.

As the lower end 38 of the card 37 is considerably overlapped when it reaches the printing point on its advance movement, and as it is desirable to print on said lower end of the card 37, the card 37 must be shifted relative to the work-sheet 10 in order to expose said lower end 38 for printing thereon. Furthermore, as said lower end 38 in its forward movement rides free of the bite v of the front feed-rollers 15 before it reaches the printing point (as will be apparent from Figure 2), there is nothing to press said lower end 38 against the platen 13 with the result that the card becomes crooked, its lower end 38 bulging out. It is the concern of the present invention to hold said lower end 38 ers 15. This is accomplished b mounting a card-holder or guide 40 on a ront table 41 at one side thereof. ,This card holder 40 is formed of'a single stri offlat metal. It

platen 13 after it has ridden free of the bite of the front feed-rollcomprises a downwar ly-extending body-' portion 42 and an intermediate slanting portion 43, and a downwardly-extending card- ,engaging portion 44. It will be noted from Figures 2 and 3, that the card-engaging portion 44 conforms to the curvature of the platen 13 and extending downwardly from a point above the printing point on the platen to a point below the printing point and is of such thickness so as to readily fit between the knife 36 and the platen 13. It will also be noted that the card-engaging portion 441' terminates in an upwardly curved lip 45 for guiding said card during its forward movement. The card-engaging portion 44 is oflset from the body-portion 42 in orden to peigiit the card to move relative to the card In operation the card 37 is guided beneath and clear of the knife 36- by the holder 40. The card-engaging portion44 may be lifted by means of the hp 45. The flee-end 39 of the work-sheet 10 is then advanced and the bottom end 38 of the card 37 is placedbetween said free 39 and the platen 13.

' until the first line desired to be typ The platen 13 is then rotated rearwardly ed on the card 37 is brought level with the printing point; The free end 39 protectssaid bottom end 38 during its rearward movement so that said bottom end 38 readily passes the ribbon 17 and its vibrator. During the 1 rearward movement of the platen 13, the

' end 38 for printing thereon.

free end 39 is fed clear of thebite of rear rollers 14 before the desired line-on card 37 is brought to the. printing point, with the result that the card 37 feeds rearwardly a. short distance after the rearward movement of said work-sheet is stopped. This causes the work-sheet to overlap the bottom end of saidcard 37 more than is desired, as will be seen from Figure 3, and when upon forward movement of the platen 13, the free end 39 reaches the printing point, the lower end 38, on which it is desired to print, is hidden by the lap of work-sheet 10, necessitating the shifting of said card to expose said lower The card-em gaging portion 44 extending from a point above the printing point to a point below said printing point firmly presses the bottom end 38 against the platen at the printsection forms the means for aiding the in-' troduction of its associated and identifying card.

.Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention, and portions of the im rovements ma 4 be used without others.

aving thus escribed. my invention, I claim:

1. In a webtypewriting machine, the combination with a revoluble platen and'a tearing-ofi knife extending therealong, of a device, positioned between'the platen and saidknife for guiding a card clear of said knife as said card is front-inserted downwardly around the platen.

2. In a web typewriting machine, the combination with a revoluble platen and a tearing-ofi knife extending therealong, of an introductory-work-table adjacent the front of said platen, and a guide carried by said table and including a portion extending between said platen and the tearing-off knife, said guide being effective to direct a card clear of the tearmg-ofi knife during a downward impressions thereon by the type 17 e seen that. the work-web not front insertion .of said card around the platen, said guide terminating in a finger co- I operating with said platento hold the card itgainst the platen adjacent the printing me. i

3. In a-web typewriting machine, the combination with a revoluble platen and a tearing-olf knife extending therealong, of an introductory work-table adjacent the front of the platen, and a guide including a finger secured at its upper end to the work-table. and extending downward between said knife and the platen in spaced relation to the latter, said finger being effective to deflect a'card away from said knife during front introduction of said'card downwardly; be-

tween said knife and the platen, the lower portion of said finger being directed inward to engage the platen adjacent the printing line, whereby to hold the card during typing andd to ,aid said platen in line-spacing the car a 4. In a web typewriting machine, the com- 5 bination with a revoluble platen and a tearing-ofl' knife extending therealong, of a front introductory work-table, and a resilient finger attached at its upperend to said table and including a resilient portion extending downwardly in spaced relation to said platen between the latter and the tearing-ofi' knife, the lower free. end of said finger being directed inward, so as to engage theplaten and terminating in a lip-portion turned away from said platen, the platenengaging portion of said finger being offset from the point of attachment thereof, whereby said card may feed past the latter during line-spacing. i

5. In a web typewriting machine, the combination with a revoluble platen and a tearing-oif knife extending therealong, of a front-work-introductory table, a combined guide and card-holder formed of a. sin lestri of-resilient material, and means or hol ing the up er end of said strip to said work-table, said 'stripbeing curved downward -in spaced relation to the platen and between the latter and the tearing-off knife, the lower end of said stri being in engage- 'ment.'with the platen an having a lip-portion turned outwardly from said platen, said strip being eflfective to engage the lower edge ofa cardintrod'uced downwardly u on said table and between the platen and t e tearing-off knife, whereby. to shield said card:

from the knife, the lower end of said strip being effective to hold the card; against the platen to facilitate typing and line-spacing .1.

thereof.

' JESSE A; B. SMITH, 

